


Quarantine

by sahiya



Series: Quarantine 2020 [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: (eventually) - Freeform, Anxiety, Caretaking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Isolation, Mental Health Issues, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Compliant, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective Tony Stark, Quarantine, References to Depression, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Touch-Starved, do not copy to another site
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23614597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sahiya/pseuds/sahiya
Summary: “So, um. I have a problem.”Tony closed his eyes, hand tightening on his phone. He’d thought Peter might be calling in the middle of the day because he was stuck at home with no one to talk to. Apparently not. “What happened?”“I, uh. I’m pretty sure I was just exposed. Like, a lot exposed.”
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Quarantine 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1679149
Comments: 48
Kudos: 677





	Quarantine

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Oncat_Inferi for the original prompt, though I changed it slightly. 
> 
> This story deals with isolation and anxiety and mental health issues due to quarantine, and there is a minor character who is infected (entirely off screen). Tread carefully if you think that might be a trigger for you. Please see the end notes for more information. 
> 
> Final note: I wrote this using what I believe to be current knowledge about the virus, but things are constantly changing, and by the time you read this, it could be out of date. Please follow guidelines and recommendations from [WHO](https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public) or your own government when making decisions about your health.

“So, um. I have a problem.”

Tony closed his eyes, hand tightening on his phone. He’d thought Peter might be calling in the middle of the day because he was stuck at home with no one to talk to. Apparently not. “What happened?”

“I, uh. I’m pretty sure I was just exposed. Like, a lot exposed.”

Tony sucked in a breath. “Peter, tell me you weren’t patrolling. May and I told you not to—”

“It was our downstairs neighbor!” Peter protested. “She’s seventy years old! She’s been coughing for days, and I heard her collapse, so I went down the fire escape. I called 911 right away, but I was in there for at least half an hour.”

“Damn,” Tony said, grimacing. He really couldn’t fault Peter for that. “Is she all right?”

“She was having a hard time breathing,” Peter said, sounding thoroughly quelled, “and her fever was really high. I don’t know if she recognized me, but I held her hand until the EMT’s got there. They put her on oxygen and got her into the ambulance. I don’t know what happened to her after that.”

“If you send me her name, I’ll have FRIDAY find out where she went,” Tony said. “And then maybe your aunt can find out more. Right now, we need to figure out what to do about you. Is May at work?”

“Yeah, and she’s been staying with a work friend who lives near the hospital. She didn’t want to risk bringing it here. Happy’s been staying with me, but he went out for groceries.”

“Okay.” Tony took a deep breath. “Pack a bag––anything you need for the next two weeks. I’m going to call Happy and have him bring a car. Are you okay to drive yourself up to the compound?” 

“Yeah, I can do it,” Peter said, sounding steadier. “There’s no one out on the roads right now anyway.”

“Good.” Tony took a deep breath. “Normally I’d meet you there, but––”

“No,” Peter said flatly. “The compound is a full-on hospital right now, and you can’t risk catching it.”

It was true, loathe though Tony was to admit it. Helen and Bruce had both been clear with him that he fell squarely into the “high risk” category, and Pepper had been on his ass about being as careful as humanly possible. Tony hated it. 

“They’re going to put you into quarantine, kiddo,” Tony said. “Are you okay with that?”

Peter shrugged. “I have to be, I guess. We can still video chat and stuff. And the compound has plenty of supplies, right?”

“Yep. It’s the best place if you do get sick, which you probably won’t.”

Peter swallowed. “Okay. I’m... I’m gonna go pack a bag, I guess.”

“Call me when you get there, all right?”

Peter nodded. He hesitated. “Love you, Tony.”

“Love you, too, Pete. Talk to you soon.”

Tony hung up and texted Happy. _Kid got exposed by the downstairs neighbor. Can you bring him one of the Audis? He’s going to drive himself up to the compound._

 _Oh hell,_ Happy replied almost immediately. _Yeah I’m on it._

Tony put his phone away and turned the TV off all together. He went out to the backyard, where he found Pepper and Morgan digging around in the garden, planting spring bulbs 

He sat down on the top step. He didn’t say a word, but after a moment, Pepper sat back on her heels and looked up at him. “Honey? What’s wrong?”

“Peter’s been exposed.”

Pepper’s eyes widened. “I thought he wasn’t allowed to patrol.”

“Their downstairs neighbor was sick, and she collapsed. Peter went in to help.” Tony put his head in his hands briefly. “He’s heading to the compound.”

Pepper got to her feet, stripping off her gloves. “That’s the best place for him. I know it’s hard for you to not be there with him, but it’s the right decision for everyone.” She sat down next to him on the top step and looped her arm through Tony’s vibranium one. 

Morgan sat down on his other side, leaning in until Tony wrapped his arm around her. “Is Peter gonna be okay?” she asked. Tony had tried to explain a little of what was happening, at least enough for her to understand why they couldn’t see Peter or any of her many honorary aunts and uncles for a while. He hadn’t wanted to scare her, though, so he’d glossed over a lot. 

“Yeah, baby, he’s going to be okay,” Tony said, because he was pretty sure that was true. Even if Peter did get sick, which wasn’t likely, he was pretty sure he’d be okay. 

He just wished he could be there in person to make sure.

***

By the time, Peter reached the compound, Tony had talked to May, Steve, Bruce, and Helen. Peter’s room at the compound was large and comfortable, but Steve and Sam had gone in and set things up for him to be in there for two solid weeks, with a better TV, a minifridge and microwave, and some workout equipment. Tony had the feeling that the worst part of this for Peter was going to be the inactivity. He’d already been going crazy at the apartment.

Talking to Helen and Bruce was reassuring. They were fairly certain that in the unlikely event Peter did develop symptoms, it would be a mild case. And if things went south, they had a stockpile of his fever reducers and painkillers on hand, unlike a normal hospital. 

“What about a test?” Tony asked. “Any chance we could cut this short?”

“We don’t have enough to give them to people without symptoms, and even if we did, we can’t actually run the tests on site,” Bruce said, looking visibly frustrated. “It’s taking days to get the results back. The whole thing is just a clusterfuck.”

“Whoa,” Tony said, holding his hands up. “It’s okay, Bruce.”

“It is _not_ okay,” Bruce snapped, suddenly looking even greener than usual. “The way this has been handled––if you _wanted_ a pandemic, you couldn’t come up with a better playbook!”

“Hey, big green, when was the last time you meditated? Or, you know, slept? I think maybe you could use a nap.”

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry. I’m fine. We’ll take really good care of Peter, Tony, I promise.”

“I know you will, buddy.” Tony tried to catch Helen’s eye––easier said than done through a video call. But she gave him an almost imperceptible nod, so Tony figured she’d gotten the message. She’d make sure Bruce took a break before the Big Guy made an unexpected reappearance. 

May was the toughest phone call. She’d heard from Happy already, so Tony didn’t have to break the news, but she was understandably upset, and she was in about the same place Bruce was, mentally––exhausted, frustrated, angry, stressed, worried, and now afraid for her kid. They couldn’t talk long, because she was on shift, but he did his best reassure her that Peter would be okay. “The worst that’ll probably happen is that he’ll be bored,” Tony told her. 

“Bored is not good for Peter,” May replied. “He spirals when he’s bored. And he needs people, he’s a secret extrovert––most people don’t realize that because of the teenage awkwardness, but he gets sad without any social interaction.”

“I know, May. Look, we’ll video call him all the time. Pepper and Morgan have me doing morning yoga, we’ll start including him. He and Morgan can do their schoolwork together. He won’t be lonely, I swear. He’s going to be sick of us, in fact, by the time this is over.”

May sighed. “Thank you, Tony. Oh hell, I have to go.”

“Of course, May. Stay safe.”

“You too,” she said, and disconnected.

That night, they video called Peter at dinner and put Tony’s StarkPad at the end of the table, where he could see everyone and everyone could see him. 

“What’ve you got, Pete?” Tony asked, once everyone had sat down with their food. 

“Spaghetti.” Peter swirled some noodles around his fork. “Sergeant Barnes made it. It’s pretty good, but not as good as yours.”

Tony grinned. “Good answer. We’re having chicken and rice with some roasted veggies.”

“That sounds nice,” Peter said, sounding wistful. 

“How are you doing, sweetie? Are you getting settled in okay?” Pepper asked. 

“Yeah. I mean, there’s not much to do. I put my clothes and school stuff away. Captain Rogers brought me dinner and told me to let him know through FRIDAY if I needed anything.” Peter took a deep breath and straightened up. “It’s okay. Thanks for having dinner with me.”

“We can do this every night if you want,” Tony said, exchanging a look with Pepper. 

“You don’t have to. I can handle being on my own. I have school during the day and every movie ever made on the compound server.”

“ _I_ want to have dinner with you,” Morgan piped up, God bless her. “I miss you.”

Peter’s face softened. “I miss you, too, Mo.”

After dinner, Tony suggested they watch a movie synchronously, but Peter said he had homework. “Yoga tomorrow morning at 7:30,” Pepper reminded him. “It’s good for your mind and your body.”

To Tony’s surprise, Peter didn’t resist at all. “Sure. I’ll see you all then.”

“Good night, Peter!” Morgan sang out. “Love you three thousand!”

“Love you, Peter,” Tony echoed. “Sleep well.”

“Love you all, too,” Peter said, smiling faintly. “Good night.”

Tony ended the video call. He looked at Pepper. 

“He’ll get through this,” she told him gently. 

“Right,” he said, and handed the remote over to Morgan so she could pick the movie. 

That was day one. 

***

Day two started with yoga, as promised. The morning was cool but not damp or windy, so Pepper, Tony, and Morgan took their mats out onto the deck. Tony set his StarkPad up so Peter would be able to see all of them. 

“Hey kid,” Tony said, when Peter signed on. “How’d you sleep?”

Peter shrugged. “Okay.”

“Okay” generally translated to “like shit,” but Tony supposed Peter could take a nap later if he needed to. One of the silver linings to being home all the time, Tony was finding, was that he was actually getting enough sleep for once in his life. 

Pepper took all of them through a series of poses, with breathing exercises. Pepper had taken up yoga when she was pregnant, and Morgan had been going to classes with her basically since she was born. Morgan was already way better at yoga than Tony would ever be, and she was surprisingly focused about it, too. Tony hated holding poses for longer than a few seconds––sometimes because it was uncomfortable but mostly because it was boring. Morgan never seemed to have an issue with it. 

Peter was more like Tony himself. Yoga didn’t present him with much of a physical challenge, and it was hard for him to keep his mind on it. Pepper must have picked up on this, too, because a few times she had them just breathe in child’s pose for a minute or so, which wasn’t something they usually did. She liked to keep them moving.

For the last twenty minutes, Pepper always did a more restorative-style of yoga, mostly for Tony’s own benefit, since his beat-up body constantly needed to be stretched. She ended with five minutes of shavasana and meditation. Instead of keeping his eyes shut, Tony kept sneaking glances over at the screen of his tablet. Peter was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling with his eyes open, chewing on his lip like he did when he was worried about something. 

After a moment, he looked over and saw Tony watching him. He stuck his tongue out. Tony smirked. 

“Settle down, you two,” Pepper murmured. 

Tony looked over at her incredulously. “How did you even know––”

“Shhh, Daddy,” Morgan whispered. “I’m _meditating._ ”

Tony rolled his eyes, looking back at Peter. Peter shrugged and closed his eyes. After a second, Tony followed suit. 

After yoga, Peter and Morgan each had school, and Peter had plans with Ned and MJ for later on. “You going to eat dinner with them, or do you want to join us again?” Tony asked, before they signed off. 

“Um, can I let you know?” Peter asked. “I’m not sure.”

“Okay. Text me, then. Have a good day, kiddo.”

“Thanks, Tony. You too..” 

***

Days three, four, and five were similar. 

Yoga in the morning, followed by school for both kids. Without a teacher there to enforce the “no cell phone rule,” Peter texted Tony off and on all day. Under normal circumstances, Tony would’ve told him to put it away and pay attention, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it now. He felt like the rest of the school year was basically a wash, anyway, and they were all just going through the motions. 

After school, Peter either video chatted with his friends or called Morgan. The two of them started drawing a comic together using an art app that let them share their work back and forth. Tony would’ve been lying if he’d said it wasn’t heartwarming as fuck. He tried not to hover too much, but he couldn’t stop himself from eavesdropping as they worked out the plot to their story about a little girl named Maura and the adventures she had with her talking llama, Jerry. 

_If you want to know what to get me for my birthday, I want a printed copy of that comic_ , Tony texted Peter. 

_We’re just fooling around,_ Peter sent back. _It’s not, like, GOOD or anything._

 _It doesn’t have to be good_ , Tony replied. _I still want it._

_Okay, fine, you sap._

Tony couldn’t even argue. He was a sap. He was a sappy dad, and he loved it. 

Sometimes Peter joined them for dinner and sometimes he ate with May or MJ or Ned. Sometimes he called them after dinner and they watched a movie synchronously, and sometimes he had an assignment to finish or needed to do some reading. 

All in all, it was going better than Tony had expected. Peter was doing all right. 

And then came day six. 

***

Peter didn’t show up for yoga that morning. 

“He probably just overslept,” Pepper said, when they’d waited ten minutes and he still hadn’t shown. Tony had tried calling his phone but he didn’t pick up. “It is Saturday, after all.”

“Wait, it is?” Tony said blankly. The days of the week had been less important ever since he’d retired, but with Pepper and Morgan both home, time had basically become a flat circle. 

“Yes, it is. Leave him alone, let him get some sleep. Warrior pose, come on.”

“Yeah, warrior pose, Daddy!” Morgan insisted. 

“I blame you for this,” Tony said to Pepper, who just smiled. 

They’d finished yoga and gone inside for breakfast when Tony’s phone finally rang. He glanced at it, expecting it to be Peter. Instead, Bruce’s green face smiled back at him. 

He suddenly felt sick. Bruce had been buried under a mountain of work ever since the pandemic had hit New York. He wouldn’t be calling just to chat. 

“Hi Bruce,” he greeted him. “What’s going on?”

“Hi Tony.” Bruce sounded harried and exhausted. “Look, the first thing you need to know is that Peter is fine. We had kind of a scare this morning, but he’s _fine_.”

That was about a thousand percent less reassuring than Bruce probably hoped it would be. “What kind of scare?” Tony asked, turning to catch Pepper’s eye. She paused in pouring Morgan’s cereal to watch him.

“He had some shortness of breath and tightness in his chest this morning. He’s been completely healthy thus far––we’ve been doing daily temperature checks and monitoring him for coughing or other symptoms, and he’s been all clear. But this was enough for Helen to go in and take a look at him.”

Tony’s clenched his jaw. “Bruce––”

“I told you, he’s okay, Tony. As far as we can tell, it wasn’t actually symptoms of the virus.” Bruce paused. “Tony, does Peter have a history of anxiety or panic attacks?”

“What?” Tony asked, finally letting go of the breath he’d been holding. 

“As far as we can tell, the shortness of breath and tightness in his chest was a panic attack. His blood pressure was sky-high at the time, too. I was wondering if it had happened before.”

“Occasionally,” Tony admitted. “He’s been seeing someone, and it’s gotten better.”

Bruce blew out a breath. “That really should have been in his file, Tony. It took us longer than it should have to figure it out.”

“Sorry,” Tony said, grimacing. “He’s... touchy about it. How’s he doing now?”

“Well, we gave him enough Xanax to knock out an elephant and it calmed him down some. He’s not being very communicative, though.”

“Yeah, he goes quiet sometimes. Do you know what triggered it?”

Bruce shook his head. “He wouldn’t––or couldn’t––tell us. But it’s a stressful situation. It’s possible there wasn’t any one trigger.”

“Right. This doesn’t––he wasn’t newly exposed, was he? This doesn’t extend his quarantine?” What a nightmare that would be. 

“No. Helen was freshly showered and wore new protective equipment when she went in.”

“Okay. Thanks, Bruce. You’re a lifesaver.”

“No problem, Tony. Take care.”

Tony disconnected. He leaned against the kitchen counter and forced himself to take a deep breath. 

“Daddy?” Morgan said. Tony looked down at her, startled. He’d almost forgotten she was there. “Is Peter okay?”

“Yeah, baby. They were worried about him, but he’s going to be fine.” He glanced at Pepper. “I’m going to call him upstairs, all right?”

“Sounds good,” she said in a deliberately light tone. “We’re going to eat breakfast, right, Morgan?”

Morgan shook her head, scowling. “I want to talk to Peter.”

“Baby, Peter isn’t feeling well,” Tony told her. “He might not feel up to talking today.”

Her scowl deepened. “But you said he was okay! If he’s okay, he’ll want to talk to me.”

Tony crouched down in front of Morgan. “Mo, sometimes people don’t feel well, but they’re still basically okay. That’s what I meant. But I’ll tell him that you love him, okay? And maybe you can draw something for him later.”

She nodded. Tony straightened up, wincing at the _snap-crackle-pop_ of his joints. He kissed her on the top of her head, then kissed Pepper once, just for reassurance, and jogged up the stairs. 

Tony had been half-afraid Peter wouldn’t answer the call, but he picked up after only two rings. “Hi,” he said, looking pale and drawn and subdued. 

“Hey, kid,” Tony said, sinking down to sit on the bed, “how’re you feeling?”

Peter’s face kind of half-crumpled and he looked away. “Stupid.”

Tony frowned. “Stupid? Why would you feel stupid?”

“All this fuss and I was just having a panic attack,” Peter muttered. 

“Well, I, for one, am glad it was a panic attack and not the other thing,” Tony said, trying to keep his voice nice and even. “Are you feeling better?”

“Kind of. I’m just... tired.”

“Yeah, panicking like that really takes it out of you. Do you know what triggered it?”

Peter shrugged. “I haven’t been sleeping well, and the anxiety’s always worse when I’m tired. And, um.” He hesitated. “You know Mrs. Baumgarten, my downstairs neighbor, the one who collapsed?”

“Yeah, I think I remember the person who exposed you.” 

Peter frowned. “It wasn’t her fault, she was sick. I chose to go in.”

“I know, Pete, I know,” Tony said quickly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like I was blaming her. What happened?”

Peter swallowed. “May talked to her daughter, and I guess––I guess she’s been in the hospital with pneumonia, but she got worse last night, so they transferred her to the ICU.”

Tony sighed. “Shit. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“And––and I was just thinking,” Peter sniffled and wiped his eyes on the back of his hand. “I was just thinking, I’ve known her most of my life, ever since we moved into the building, she’s super nice, and she makes the best challah, and when Ben died she brought May and me a bunch of casseroles, and––and I don’t want her to die. I really don’t want her to die. And then I kept thinking about May being exposed, and me, and you, and everyone else we know.” He sniffled. “I hate this. I’ve been trying to be okay with being stuck here, but I really hate it. I hate only seeing people through screens. I miss hugs. I could really use a hug right now.”

Tony’s heart broke. “I wish I could hug you, too, kiddo. When this is over, I’m gonna hug the daylights out of you.”

“When’s that gonna be, though?” Peter asked, looking up. 

“Eight days, Pete. Just eight more days.”

“Yeah, except––except what happens after that? Do I go back to the city? Can I come up to the lake house? Do I have to stay here?”

“I don’t know,” Tony admitted. “Where do you want to be?”

Peter swallowed. “The lake house. But not if it isn’t safe. I don’t want to put anyone in danger.”

“We’ll talk to Bruce and Helen, all right? We’ll figure this out. I don’t know that it’s ever possible to be completely safe, but we’ll weigh the risks and make a responsible decision.”

Peter nodded, looking down at his hands. “Thanks. That sounds... that sounds okay.” 

Tony let a few seconds pass in silence. Then he asked, “How’re you feeling now?”

Peter shrugged. “Still really tired.”

“Take a nap, then,” Tony suggested. “But when you get up, would you mind giving us a call? Morgan is worried about you.”

“Sure.” Peter hesitated, biting his lip. “Could you... never mind.”

“Could I what?”

“It’s stupid.”

“I’m sure it’s not. Could I what?”

“Could you stay with me? Until I fall asleep? It’s just,” Peter swallowed, “it’s been really tough to fall asleep. During the day I’m okay, you know? I’ve got stuff to do, and I can always call you or Ned or MJ or May, if she’s not working. But then I lie down to go to sleep, and I start thinking, and it’s... it feels so dumb, because I’m Spiderman, I’ve been to space, and I’ve dealt with some really scary stuff, I feel like I shouldn’t feel so freaked out about this, but I do. I can’t... I can’t _do_ anything about it, and no one knows what’s going to happen, and I’m not even that scared for myself, I’m scared for May and––and you.”

“You don’t need to worry about me, Pete.” 

Peter gave him an unimpressed look. “I’m not an idiot, Tony.”

“No one is calling you an idiot.”

“Then don’t tell me I don’t need to worry about you. It’s kind of my job.”

Tony strongly disagreed with this, but he decided it might be better not to argue. He couldn’t exactly stop Peter from worrying about him, even if he wanted to. He kept his mouth shut as Peter lay down on his side, propping the phone up so Tony could still see him. 

“I miss you,” Peter said.

“I miss you, too.”

“Can you talk to me about what we’ll do when I come to the lake house?”

“Sure.” Tony pitched his voice low, the way he did when he was trying to get Morgan to go to sleep. “First thing we’re going to do is go for a long walk. I’m sure you’re dying to stretch your legs, so we’ll stroll around the lake. Morgan’s got a thing for turtles, so we’ll look for some of them. Then we’ll eat lunch outside. I’ll make carbonara.”

“In the middle of the day?” Peter asked, already sounding sleepy.

“Hey, it’s a pandemic, we might as well live a little. Besides, it’s not like we’ve got anything better to do, right? Food coma be damned. After that, we can all watch a movie together. I’ll try to call dibs on sitting next to you, but I bet Morgan overrules me.”

“Mmm.”

“Later on, we can spend some time in the workshop together. I got about two dozen new web shooter combinations for you.”

“You’re so extra,” Peter mumbled. 

“Yeah, I am,” Tony agreed, smiling fondly at him. “And at the end of the day, after Morgan’s gone to bed, we’ll watch whatever you want. Even if it’s _Star Wars_ again, or that British baking show I don’t understand. Whatever you want, Pete.” 

Tony stopped talking. Peter’s eyes were closed and his breathing looked slow and even. Just in case, Tony stayed on the phone for another minute or two, before finally ending the call. 

Six days down, Tony thought, rubbing a hand over his face. Eight days to go. This was the longest two weeks of his life, and he could only imagine what it felt like for Peter. 

***

Pepper didn’t make them do yoga on Sundays. Sundays were for sleeping in if Morgan let them, which she didn’t, most of the time. So it was more accurate to say that Sundays were for _trying_ to sleep in. 

After the events of the day before, Tony hadn’t slept all that well anyway. When Morgan tiptoed in at 7:15, he was already awake. He got up and took her downstairs, so that at least Pepper could sleep in. 

“What do you think, Morguna?” he asked. “Pancakes?”

“Pancakes!” she agreed, and shoved the step stool over to the counter so she could help. 

Tony was stirring pancake batter in a bowl when FRIDAY said, “Boss, you’ve got an incoming call from May Parker.”

“Bluetooth, FRI,” Tony replied, as he got blueberries out of the freezer. 

“Hi Tony,” May said, sounding more run-down than Tony had ever heard her. “Sorry to bother you so early, I wanted to catch you before my shift started.” 

“No problem, Morgan and I are just making breakfast.” Tony handed the blueberries to Morgan for her to add. “Everything okay?”

There was a brief silence. Then May said, “Tony, the hospital got that shipment of masks. I hope you didn’t do that on my account, because the city is full of people just like me, and I don’t––”

“May, even I can’t make masks appear out of thin air,” Tony interrupted gently. “Pepper busted her... butt,” he managed to amend at the last moment, catching sight of Morgan, “on that project. Your hospital wasn’t the only one that got them. Did we make sure yours was on the list? Yes, absolutely. Are you going to get mad at me about it?”

“...no,” May said. “I won’t. Thank you. It’s been a lifesaver. Literally.”

“You don’t need to thank me for it,” Tony said. “You’re doing the heavy-lifting on this one. It was the least we can do. Is that why you called?”

“No,” May said, with a sigh. “I wanted to check in with you about Peter. I talked to him last night, and he said he was fine, but that obviously isn’t true.”

Tony had talked to Peter the night before, too, after he’d talked to May. They’d watched an episode of _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_ together, and then Tony had stayed on the phone with him until he’d fallen asleep. “He’s... coping.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better.”

Tony sighed. “May––whoa, Morgan, that’s a lot of blueberries,” he interrupted himself, because Morgan had just dumped most of a bag of blueberries into the mix. 

“I like blueberries.”

“Well, that’s good, because these pancakes are going to be mostly blueberries. Sorry,” Tony added to May. “Multitasking.”

“No, it’s fine, I get it.”

“Anyway, I was going to say––Peter is basically fine. He’s got Bruce and Helen on-site, and we’re doing what we can for him from here. He’s not in any physical danger, and emotionally––well, I’m not sure you can help him. I don’t think he’d accept it from you, knowing how much you have to deal with right now.”

May was quiet for a bit. Tony brushed oil over the griddle in the center of the stove, while Morgan watched from a safe distance. “I hate this,” May finally said. “I hate not being there for him, I hate that he’s lying to try and make me feel better, and I hate that you’re right.”

Tony grimaced. “Yeah. Sorry. But I promise you, May. I’ve got this one.”

“Yeah,” May said. “I know you do.” She heaved another deep sigh. “All right, I have to go to work.”

“Be careful, all right?” Tony said, knowing it was no use asking her to be safe. There was no “safe” right now. 

“I will. Thank you, Tony.”

May disconnected. Tony pressed a kiss to the top of Morgan’s head. “I love you three thousand, Mo.”

She squinted up at him, as though trying to figure out where that had come from. But in the end, she shrugged, clearly filing it under Grown-Ups Are Weird. “Love _you_ three thousand. Can I have a Mickey Mouse pancake?”

“Sure,” Tony said, and started ladling batter onto the griddle. “One Mickey Mouse pancake, coming up.”

***

Peter didn’t pick up when Tony tried to call him after breakfast. He didn’t pick up when he called him in the early afternoon, either. He was on the verge of texting Steve and asking him to check on Peter when Peter finally called in the late afternoon. 

Tony took his phone out onto the back porch, since Pepper was working and Morgan was watching a movie. “Everything okay?” he asked, frowning. The picture was dark. He could just barely see Peter’s face. 

“I mean... no worse than it has been,” Peter replied with a listless shrug. 

Tony’s frown deepened. “Are you still in bed?”

“Maybe.”

“Pete, I know this is hard, but you can’t just lie in bed all day.”

“ _One_ day,” Peter snapped. “I was tired, all right? It seemed like a lot of work to get up and get dressed just to sit in a different part of the exact same room. I’ll get up tomorrow, but I just––I couldn’t today.”

Tony wanted to argue, but he forced himself to stop and think, first. This wasn’t like Peter at all. Tony didn’t think he’d ever seen him lie in bed all day before. Sleep till noon, yes––he was a teenager, after all. But never just... not get out of bed. 

“Okay,” he finally said. “Are you feeling any better?”

“Not really,” Peter admitted.

“Have you eaten anything? Are you drinking enough water?”

“I had a late breakfast, and probably not,” Peter said. He sat up with a sigh. “Okay. I’ll eat something and have some water.”

“Want to watch a movie after that?” 

Peter shrugged. He tossed his phone onto his bed, so Tony was suddenly looking up at what should have been floor-to-ceiling windows. Jesus, the kid hadn’t even opened the blinds that morning. 

“Don’t you want to hang out with Pepper and Morgan?” Peter asked, his voice growing distant. 

“They’re okay for the moment,” Tony replied. “I want to hang out with you.”

“It’s fine,” Peter mumbled. “You don’t have to pity me.”

Tony waited until Peter had come back, bottle of water in one hand and bag of Cheetos in the other. He decided not to comment on Peter’s snack choices. “What do you mean, ‘pity you’?”

Peter shrugged. He opened up the bag of Cheetos. “You don’t have to put all this effort into making me feel better. You’re probably super happy being at home with Morgan and Pepper, and I’m just dragging you all down.”

“No, you’re not, Pete,” Tony said. “Yeah, the situation here is better than the one you’re in, but we’re still stuck here. We’re not thrilled about it. And we miss you a lot. We like having you join us for stuff, even if it’s only virtually.”

Peter shrugged. He shoved a Cheeto in his mouth and crunched away, avoiding the camera. 

“I think you know that we miss you,” Tony finally said, keeping his voice gentle. “But you seem to be having a bad day inside your head. Probably not unexpected after the panic attack yesterday, and with everything that’s happening.”

“I guess not,” Peter said. He took a swig of water and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “You just spent so much time with me yesterday, and I’m sure you’d rather have spent it with Morgan and Pepper.”

“Not true,” Tony said immediately. “I love spending time with them, sure, but you’re my family, too.”

“Hmm.” Peter looked skeptical, but no longer quite as miserable. He drained the last of the water bottle and crunched through another fistful of Cheetos.

“Question for you,” Tony said after a moment. “When was the last time you showered?”

Peter had to think about it. “Friday? I think?”

“Well, go do that,” Tony said. “Shower, brush your teeth, change your clothes, even if you just put on new pajamas. For God’s sake, open the blinds and let in some light. Then call me again.”

“You don’t have to––”

“I want to. All right?”

“All right,” Peter agreed. “I’ll call you after I shower and brush my teeth and change my clothes.”

“Good. Love you, Pete.”

Peter ducked his head. “Love you, too, Tony.”

They disconnected. Tony picked up his phone and texted Steve. 

_The kid’s having a rough time. Think he could use a hit of endorphins. Could you and the one-armed wonder put him through his paces? You know what equipment he’s got in his room._

Steve texted back immediately. _With pleasure._

Fifteen minutes later, Tony and Morgan were coloring at the coffee table with _Toy Story_ on in the background when Tony’s phone buzzed again. He glanced at it. 

_You sicced Steve on me?! UNCOOL_

Tony smirked. _Enjoy your workout, kid. Call me after._

***

Now that Tony knew that the kid’s anxiety and depression were flaring up, he was able to get creative about how to manage them. Peter added a remote workout with Steve and Bucky to his afternoon routine, in addition to morning yoga. Tony sent an email to Peter’s therapist (something he should have done a week ago, he realized now), and she emailed Peter about scheduling a video session. 

Tony also looked at the health data collected by Peter’s StarkWatch and realized exactly how badly the kid had been sleeping––no more than five hours a night since he’d started quarantine. No wonder he was falling apart. 

“Shit,” May asked, when Tony called her with this information. “That’s not nearly enough, especially for him. What do you think we should do?”

Tony never stopped being surprised whenever May asked his advice about Peter, even if it had happened more and more in the last year. “I think school is too much right now. I know it’s important, but he needs a break, at least until he’s out of quarantine.”

“I agree,” May said. “I’ll email the school and let them know.”

Peter protested half-heartedly when Tony told him he’d be taking the rest of his quarantine—at least—off of school, but Tony heard the relief in his voice. It was too much top of everything else, and he’d needed them to give him permission to let go of calc and Spanish and chemistry. Fortunately, Midtown was pretty understanding. Peter wasn’t the only kid dealing with some tough stuff. 

Once all that was taken care of, Tony decided to do what he did best and throw money at the problem. He bought duplicates of three very expensive Lego sets and had one of each overnighted to the lake house and the compound.

“You’ve gone crazy,” Peter said, when the Legos arrived on day nine of his quarantine. “This has to be six hundred bucks worth of Legos.”

“Try twelve hundred, kid,” Tony replied, setting his own boxes in front of him on the table. 

Peter blinked. “What are you––why?”

“We’re going to build them together,” Tony said. “Well, maybe only one. You’ve only got six days of quarantine left. But we can build the rest when you’re up here. So what do you think––1989 Batmobile, Hogwarts Castle, or the Millenium Falcon?”

Peter frowned. Tony would’ve bet on him choosing the Millenium Falcon, but instead he said, “Can we do Hogwarts? Ned isn’t super into _Harry Potter_.” 

“You got it, kid,” Tony said, shoving the other two boxes over. 

Peter was quiet as they started opening the boxes, spreading out the plans, getting situated. “You didn’t have to do this, you know,” he finally said. 

“You need something to do with your hands,” Tony replied. “We’re alike that way.”

Peter looked up and smiled, as though Tony’s remark had surprised him. “I’ve disassembled and reassembled my web shooters a _lot_ this week,” he admitted. 

“See? This is better. Jesus, this thing has a lot of pieces.” For the first time, Tony actually looked at the box. _Six thousand pieces?_ What the fuck had he just signed up for?

Peter’s mouth twitched. “Have you ever actually put a Lego set together before?” 

“Yeah, I’ve been hiding a secret Lego hobby from you all this time,” Tony replied, rolling his eyes. “Of course not! I had no idea it was this... complicated.” 

Peter actually grinned. “Well, fortunately for you, you’ve got someone who knows what they’re doing. Give me just a sec.” He paused, reading through the booklet that had come with the set. “Okay,” he finally said, “let’s start with one of the smaller components. How about the Whomping Willow?”

“Sure,” Tony said with some relief. “You’re in charge here, Pete. Lead the way.”

***

The next two days were a little better. The lifting of the burden of school from Peter’s shoulders was almost visible. He smiled more, cracked more jokes, and according to the data from his StarkWatch, started sleeping better, too.

Each day after yoga, the four of them ate breakfast together, and then Peter and Tony would work on Hogwarts or Peter and Morgan would work on their comic. In the afternoon, Peter signed off to work out with Steve and Bucky and call MJ or Ned, while Tony tried to get Morgan out of the house for a little while, before they reconvened for dinner and TV in the evenings.

He was still having to sit with Peter in order for him to fall asleep, though each night seemed a little easier. He didn’t like that it was necessary, but it wasn’t exactly a hardship for Tony. Pepper often teased him that his default setting was “mother bear.” This was a great excuse to cave to those instincts––even if it drove him crazy that he could only help Peter through the screen of his smartphone. 

They were almost through this, Tony told himself. Day ten went by without incident. Day eleven did, too. 

On the afternoon of day twelve, with only seventy-two hours to go, Tony was with Morgan down by the lake, looking for worms to add to their compost heap, when his phone buzzed.

 _Can you call Peter?_ May had written. _I just had to give him some bad news about our neighbor. I can’t talk, I’m on shift, but the short version is that they had to put her on a ventilator. Her daughter called me. Peter says he’s fine, but I could tell he wasn’t._

Tony swore. Morgan lifted her head. “Daddy, that’s Mommy’s word.”

“Sorry, honey,” Tony said, too distracted to do their usual song-and-dance. “Do you mind if we go up to the house? I need to call Peter.”

Morgan jumped to her feet. Her brightly-patterned galoshes were splattered all over with mud. “Is Peter okay?” 

Tony took her hand in his. “Yeah, he’s fine, baby, but I need to call him. Come on, Mommy will help you get cleaned up.” He mentally crossed his fingers. Pepper had been about to take a conference call when they’d gone outside. He hoped she wasn’t still on it.

Fortunately, she wasn’t. Pepper took one look at Tony’s face and smoothly took over with Morgan, leaving Tony free to take his phone back outside. 

Peter didn’t pick up the first time Tony tried to call him. He tried again, sitting on the steps of the porch, looking down toward the dock and the lake. It was a beautiful spring day––cool but sunny, with a light breeze that dusted the ground with petals from the trees that were blossoming. Tony thought about Peter, trapped inside the compound, and all the other people in places like New York who weren’t lucky enough to be able to sit outside, in the fresh air, or go for walks without worrying about being exposed. 

The second time Tony called, Peter answered. “May called you, didn’t she,” he greeted Tony, his voice thick. 

“She texted me, yeah. Pete, I’m so sorry.”

Peter sniffled, wiping his hand on the back of his hand. “May said it doesn’t mean she––it doesn’t mean anything, lots of people are on ventilators for a few days and then they get better. But MJ’s cousin is a nurse in Jersey and she tested positive, and Ned’s uncle is in the hospital, and I’m just––I’m kind of freaking out.”

Tony didn’t know what to say. The truth was that he was out of comforting platitudes. He didn’t want to tell Peter that things were going to be okay when he wasn’t sure they would be, and everything else he would’ve done under normal circumstances––put his arm around his kid, hug him, make him something to eat––was unavailable to him. 

“I’m sorry, Peter,” Tony finally said. “I really am.”

Peter sniffled again. “Yeah, me too.” He leaned his head on his hand, wearily. “I can’t wait to get out of here. Did you talk to Bruce? Did he say it’s okay for me to come to your place after this is over?”

“I did,” Tony said. “He says it should be fine.”

“Oh. Good.” Peter wiped his eyes. “I didn’t really have a Plan B.”

“We would’ve figured something out.”

“Yeah, but I really want to be with you,” Peter replied, heartbreakingly direct. “Not that I don’t want to see May as soon as possible, but––but I always feel really safe at the lake house, and it’d be nice to... to feel like that again. For a while.”

Tony suddenly felt like he might cry, too. “We want you with us, too, Pete,” he said, hoping the wobble in his voice wasn’t noticeable. 

Peter managed a smile. “You just want me to watch Morgan.”

“I mean, I’m not saying it’s not a perk...” Tony replied, matching his smile. “She’s wearing me out.”

“Only to be expected at your age, I guess.”

“Hey, one of my kids is responsible for ninety percent of the gray hair on my head, and it isn’t Morgan.”

As banter went, it wasn’t their wittiest, but Peter’s smile grew a shade more genuine. “I guess at least you know where I am all the time now.”

“True,” Tony conceded. “I am enjoying the change of pace from worrying that you’re out getting shot. Now I get to worry about completely new things! It’s refreshing.”

Peter huffed a laugh. “Glad I can help.” He sat up a little straighter and rubbed a hand over his face. “Ugh, I’m a mess. I’m gonna go wash my face.”

“You do that,” Tony said. “I’ll be here.”

***

The last two days of Peter’s quarantine crawled by. Tony had to stop himself from literally counting the hours, knowing there was no point. Bruce wasn’t going to let him leave before the fourteen days were actually up. 

Peter himself was clearly over the whole thing. He bailed on yoga, refused to work on Hogwarts, and even whined about watching a movie. He was _done_.

 _Then let him be done_ , May said, when Tony texted her to complain. _It’s two days. If he wants to sulk his way through them, then let him. Before either of you know it, it’ll be over, and he’ll be on his way to you._

Tony supposed she was right. The end was in sight. Peter just needed something to get him through the next two days. He decided it was time to bring out something he’d had in his back pocket for a couple months now. He’d imagined he was saving it for some point in the future when the kid inevitably got hurt and was laid up for a while. He’d never imagined that he was saving it for this, but now, here they were. 

_Hey, you know, Morgan’s never seen Star Wars_ , Tony texted Peter. _I think she’s ready, don’t you?_

Peter responded immediately. _OMG REALLY? YES._

Tony grinned to himself. _Chronological or theatrical release order?_

_Is that even a question? I hope that isn’t an actual question. Theatrical release obv._

_Be prepared for her to need a few breaks_ , Tony warned him. 

_That’s okay, it’s not like we don’t have plenty of time._

Tony supposed that was true. It also wasn’t the thing Tony was most worried about. _She also might not love them the way you do._

_Are you kidding me? We’re going to be having lightsaber battles in the front yard before you know it._

Tony had to concede that that was probably true. Even if Morgan never became a hardcore _Star Wars_ fan like Peter, she did love a good sword fight. And she loved Peter even more. Peter had told Tony once that _Star Wars_ had been something he and Ben had shared, that he’d loved it at first because Ben had loved it, and even now, part of why he loved it was that it reminded him of his uncle. Tony hoped the same would be true for Morgan and Peter. 

Even if it meant resigning himself to watching a hell of a lot of _Star Wars_ in the very near future. 

***

On the morning of what Peter had taken to calling Liberation Day, Bruce came to do one last temperature check. Tony was on the phone with Peter at the time, watching him fidget his way through one final quarantine breakfast. It was unlikely for symptoms to show up at this point, but Tony held his breath anyway, watching as Bruce pressed the temple thermometer to Peter’s forehead. 

“Normal,” he heard Bruce declare, his voice muffled by his mask. “Congratulations, Peter, you’re officially out of quarantine.”

Peter actually whooped. “That’s the best news ever. Thank you, Dr. Banner.”

“Yeah, thanks, Bruce,” Tony added. 

“My pleasure. Stay safe, all right? I don’t want to see you back here.”

“Me neither,” Peter replied fervently. 

Bruce left with a wave in Tony’s direction. Peter picked up his phone and looked at Tony. “It’s over,” he said, faintly disbelieving. 

“It’s over,” Tony confirmed. “Now pack your bags and get your ass up here.”

“Bold of you to assume I haven’t been ready to go since yesterday. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

“See you soon, Pete. Drive safe.”

***

Tony was making lunch when he heard the telltale sound of gravel crunching in the driveway. “PETER’S HERE!” Morgan yelled from her spot at the window, where she’d been watching out for him. She bolted out the front door. 

“Morgan, remember what we said!” Tony called, turning the stove off before chasing after her. He heard Pepper leave her office upstairs, where she’d been working all morning.

“I know, I know,” she grumbled, coming to a halt at the bottom of the stairs. “He has to change his clothes first.”

Pepper joined them on the front porch just as Peter climbed out of the blue Audi he’d borrowed for the drive from the compound to the lake house. “Oh my God, fresh air,” Peter groaned, turning his face toward the sun. “This place smells amazing. How did I never realize how amazing this place smells?”

Morgan was dancing from one foot to the other impatiently. “Peter, Daddy says you have to wash your hands and change your clothes before we can hug you.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea, Mo,” Peter said, grabbing his backpack out of the backseat. “I should probably wipe this down, too.”

“Is that all you brought?” Pepper asked. 

Peter shrugged. “I have all the clothes I need here. Figured it was better not to risk it.”

It felt wrong and weird to stand back from Peter as he went inside to take his backpack into his room. It went against every instinct Tony had that told him to hug Peter as soon as possible. He distracted himself by keeping hold of Morgan so she couldn’t dash down the hallway to Peter's room, while Pepper took over at the stove.

The moment Peter emerged, freshly changed and scrubbed, there was no holding Morgan back. She ran down the hallway and leapt into his arms, wrapping both arms and legs around him. He caught her easily, of course, though he pretended to stagger back a couple of feet, as though she’d almost bowled him over. 

“I missed you so much,” Morgan declared, holding onto him.

“I missed you, too,” Peter said, carrying her into the kitchen. “Something smells good. Did you really make carbonara?”

“I did,” Tony said. “Hey, Morguna, mind if I get in on that hug action?”

“I’m not done yet,” she replied, tightening her grip on Peter.

“There’ll be lots of time to hug Peter as much as you want, honey,” Pepper said, turning away from where she was carefully stirring the pancetta into the pasta. “Let Daddy hug Peter. He’s been waiting just as long as you have for it.”

Morgan let go of Peter reluctantly. Tony opened his arms and Peter fell into them, burying his face in Tony’s shoulder. Tony wrapped him up tight in his arms, cradling the back of Peter’s head in his vibranium palm and pressing his nose to the top of Peter’s head. 

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. Peter was safe. He was safe and he was home. He was _here_.

“Love you, kiddo,” Tony murmured. “Really glad to be able to do this in person.”

“I love you too.” Peter’s hands tightened where he was holding onto the back of Tony’s shirt. “Thank you for keeping me sane. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.” He turned his head to the side and ducked, tucking himself under Tony’s chin. He was really too tall for that––Tony had to kind of tilt his chin up to accommodate it––but neither of them cared. 

After a few seconds, Pepper cleared her throat. “Lunch is ready.”

Tony rubbed circles on Peter’s back. “Okay,” he said, reluctantly pulling away. He kept his arm around Peter’s shoulders until he finally had to let go to carry the bowl of pasta out to the porch. Pepper took the opportunity to swoop in and give Peter her own hug, which he accepted, grinning bashfully. 

It was another beautiful spring day. They might get some rain that evening, FRIDAY had said, but the sun was supposed to shine until at least five o’clock. Despite his eagerness to show _Star Wars_ to Morgan, Peter agreed to a walk around the lake after lunch. 

The lakeshore was muddy, so Pepper made them all put on galoshes before they headed out. She stayed back to take a video call and put a pot of chili on for dinner. Morgan held Peter’s hand, swinging it back and forth, and Tony put his arm around him as they headed down the path that would take them around the lake. 

“How’re you doing, kid?” Tony asked, squeezing Peter’s shoulders. 

Peter sighed happily. “Better.” 

“Have you talked to May yet today?”

He shook his head, and his smile faded slightly. “She was supposed to call me on her lunch break, but she’s later than usual.”

“She probably just got caught up.”

“Probably,” Peter agreed, but Tony could tell he was worried. It was an abrupt reminder that even though this was a much better situation for Peter, and Tony was relieved beyond measure to have him home, nothing beyond their little enclave was better than it had been the day before. 

Halfway around the lake was a cluster of rocks that Tony and Morgan and Pepper liked to stop and sit on. They were sun-baked in the afternoon and usually sheltered from any kind of wind. Tony and Peter climbed up and made themselves comfortable, while Morgan poked around below. In the summer, there was a family of ducks that lived nearby. It was too early for ducklings, but the mom and dad had showed up the week before. Morgan was on the lookout for them now. 

Peter closed his eyes. “Sun feels good,” he murmured. 

“I bet.” Tony put his hand on Peter’s knee and left it there. Peter smiled. 

They’d been sitting in the sun for maybe ten minutes when Peter’s phone started buzzing. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it. “Hi May,” he said, giving Tony a relieved look. “Yeah... yeah, everything is fine, we had lunch and now we’re out by the lake.”

Tony tuned out their conversation, trying to give Peter what privacy he could. He kept an eye on Morgan, traipsing through the mud in her galoshes. He’d probably have to bathe her before dinner. 

“––you did?” Tony heard Peter say, a new note of something––anxiety, concern, worry––in his voice. He turned to look at Peter. “What did she... oh, that’s––that’s great, May. That’s really great.” Peter’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Yeah, thanks for letting me know. I’m really glad to hear that... Oh, that’s super nice of them, tell them I’m okay, they shouldn't worry about me.” Peter smiled. He put his hand on top of Tony’s where it rested on his knee and squeezed it. “Yeah,” he said to May. “That sounds good... Call me tonight after you get home? ...Great, thanks... I love you, too. Stay safe.”

Peter put his phone back in his pocket. “Good news?” Tony asked. 

“Yeah. Mrs. Baumgarten came off the ventilator today,” Peter said, seeming relieved beyond measure. “She’s still in the ICU, but May said her daughter said things are looking a lot better.”

“That’s great, Pete,” Tony said, squeezing his hand back. “I’m so glad to hear that.”

“Me too.” Peter chewed on his lip. “I guess when all this is over, they want to take me and May to dinner. Her daughter thinks I saved her life.”

“You probably did,” Tony said. “But that’s nothing new for you. You save a lot of lives.”

“I guess.” Peter shrugged. “Just kind of weird for them to know it’s me. Like, usually I’m Spiderman and no one knows who it is, so they don’t try to take me to dinner or whatever.”

“Well, I’ve always been a pretty big fan of Peter Parker, myself,” Tony said, ruffling Peter’s hair. “I’m happy the fan-club is expanding. Maybe I’ll get some t-shirts made.”

“Ugh, please don’t.”

“What about hats? I could totally design a logo using your initials.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Why are you like this?”

“I’m a dad, and you’re my teenager. I’m pretty sure I’m legally required to embarrass you.”

Peter huffed out a laugh. “You’re ridiculous.”

“You love me.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” He leaned back on his hands, turning his face up to the sun again. Tony glanced back toward Morgan. She was collecting rocks in a bucket she’d brought along on their walk. After a minute or two, Peter shifted so he was leaning against Tony, his head resting on Tony’s shoulder. 

“What’s the plan tonight?” Peter asked.

Tony hummed. “Chili for dinner, then I thought we could start the first _Star Wars_ movie. Morgan’s pretty excited. It’s supposed to rain, so maybe we could build a fire. Then after she goes to bed... whatever you want, kid. Dealer’s choice. Workshop, Legos, I’m down for anything. How’s that sound?”

Peter sighed faintly. His head, resting on Tony’s shoulder, grew heavier, as though some of the tension had drained out of him. “The best,” he said. “It sounds like the best.”

_Fin._

**Author's Note:**

> Peter is exposed to the virus when he helps out his neighbor, who ends up in the hospital and eventually in ICU on a ventilator. By the end of the story, she is on her way to recovery. Peter himself never displays any symptoms.
> 
> Stay safe, friends! And leave a comment if you feel so moved.


End file.
